Unrelated to this post: Peach blossoms with snow on them, from about 10 days ago. Where I live, "spring" is more like "extended winter".

Big girl and little. Fiona isn't walking yet, but she likes to do "walkies" with her big sister.

Today I'm thinking about my big girl again. Lots has been going on around here for her lately. Big transitions and rites of passage. Last month, she had her birthday and first holy communion, and this month -- it seems that I'm sending off checks right and left. I sort of feel a little complainy about how much it all costs, but I'm also just noticing what big things are going on:

~We mailed off the registration for competitive swim team this summer. At eight, she won't be the youngest child on her team by any means, but we didn't want to start a sport before now. In fact, I really felt that nine would be better (I've had this thought corroborated by so many of the parents of my cello students over the years, too). So this is our family's first foray into the world of competitive anything. We're nervous, but ever so excited about the meets!

~Elisabeth has her own cello now. It is the outgrown cello of one of my students. Elisabeth has been talking about playing cello since the day of her second birthday, and we even very briefly rented her a tiny little cello when she was three. But we realized that playing an instrument at that tender age was really not the right path for our family and the way we do things. So we waited. I thought we'd begin to look for an instrument when she was about 8 or 9, and lo and behold, one of my students sized up into a full-size right before Elisabeth turned 8. So, we now have her old 3/4 cello, and Elisabeth is practicing every day, without being asked (so far!).

~We also signed up for a homeschool enrichment program for next fall. They offer things like art, music, drama, games/PE -- things that can be sometimes harder to coordinate and fit in at home, or without a group of children. We spent some time today choosing which classes to enroll in. It's exciting, and a little scary. Elisabeth will be at her class for a full day once a week in the fall!

~In five weeks, we begin the odyssey of orthodontia. This is the "big" thing that makes me the saddest. Elisabeth has had an underbite all her life, and it hasn't self-corrected as her permanent teeth have come in. We've known for a long time that braces were going to be part of our future with her. But, it's sad to think of my little eight-year-old with a face full of braces. In the long run, it's for the best. But it's reminding me again of how bittersweet this whole growing up thing is.

uncommon grace